Scars and Tattoos
by Tigereyes45
Summary: Scott has finally been cleared for the field after the visit. Ryder shares a story about her and her brother's scars and tattoos when she was asked by Cora.


**_My customized fem Ryder is named Tiger. She also has a faded scar covering her eye and a tattoo going from her ear to her neck. I made it so Scott had a similar scar on his neck and a tattoo going over his right eye where fem Ryder's scar would be. This information would be relevant to the story._**

* * *

"Hey Ryder." Liam calls as the pathfinder walks by.

"Hello Liam." She replies with a kind smile and wave before pushing on. She had to hurry there was no time for chatting with her team. So with what she is sure are rushed hellos and greetings, Ryder finds herself in the medbay. Today is the day her little brother was going to be fit for duty, and she had to be there.

A friendly face greets her as she rushes into the medbay. Take a deep breath she tries to appear calm, and not as if she had been running the whole way here. She failed at it, but she was excited. Finally she will have her family awake and back. Someone who would know and understand how she felt about everything.

"Nice to see you're finally awake." She greets him.

"Good to see you to sis. So I should be ready for duty soon." Scott says furrowing his brows.

"Yeah." Came her solemn reply.

"Did you ever think this would happen, Tiger? Back when we were leaving?" He asks talking about an event she knew he would want to discuss.

"No." She admits. "Honestly dad seemed so indestructible to me. I guess I never expected him to go next after mom. I sort of always thought it would be,"

"Who? Me?" Scott asks with a smirk. "The reckless Ryder." A hollow hah escapes him.

"No. I thought it would be me." Tiger admits.

A look of shock. "What?"

She takes a seat next to her brother. "I was studying protheans. Back in the milky way that wasn't the safest of jobs. We lost more of our own then security guards everyday." Tiger shakes her head. "Hey this isn't why I came squirt." She jokes lightly punching him in the arm. "You are getting cleared for duty today, right?"

"Already was. You always seem to miss the big moments by just a moment yourself."

She shrugs. "Pathfinder problems."

"Ryder?" A unsure cough calls their attention. "Yes?" They ask at the same time.

The source of the cough was Cora. Her voice clear as she approaches them. "Scott Ryder. Nice to meet you. I'm sorry but your sister has some business on hyperion. I'll have her back in time for her to escort you to your bunk assignment and you're colony home."

A confused look passed over Scott's face. "Don't worry. We all are assigned a home in one of the working colonies. I imagined you'll be spending most of your time on the ship with me anyways."

"Business calls sis. Just make sure to get back here in time." He means it jokingly but it strikes a chord in her.

"Ryder?"

"Yes Cora."

"I'm sorry to pry but I just noticed the scars."

Tiger stops. "Yes? What of them?" She asks sharply. It was not a memory she liked to relive.

"Your's and Scott's their identical." Cora begins.

"How did we get them?" Ryder finishes for her. "We were on a transport vessel. Dad has been transferred again and we were taking one to his new station. Mom was with us, but there was an accident, or an attack. I'm not sure which it really was just that the machinery around us started sparking. We were ten. People were running everywhere, and we could not find our mother. Scott fell and I helped him up before covering his head. Wrapping my arms around the upper half of his head so it would be protected. I buried the left side of my face into his hair. It was my attempt to keep him calm and keep us both in one place until our mother found us. Next thing I knew there was a bright orange flash of light. Scott was screaming. I felt nothing but pain and tears slowly dripping down my face. I lost consciousness thereafter.

The next time I woke up we were in a medical office on my father's new station. As soon as I woke up I looked for Scott and was happy to see he was only to my right. Mother was there. Her eyes were red and puffy. I knew she had been crying and I asked her to stop. I hated when she cried because it always made dad angry. I didn't want my parents upset. I was a kid. When she saw I was awake she entered mom mode and immediately was asking if I was hungry or thirty or needed anything. Then she promised how it was all going to be alright, and how I don't have to worry. She was sure the scar would heal. At the time I didn't know what scar she was talking about." Slowly her hand drifts over her eye. She rubs the edges of her scar remembering the moment.

"You think you are invincible when you're a kid, but the first time you get hurt. Really hurt, you have to face your vulnerability. Scott woke up hearing mom fretting over me so much. He asked her if he could sleep instead of going to school. That was when I saw his scar. All over the bottom left side of his cheek. Burn marks, that look almost like wisps of air. I felt for my neck to see if I had any there. All while my mom promised my brother that he would not be going to school that day. I felt pain in my eye and that was when I realized where my scar was." Tiger explains.

"It was hard. Kids are mean. They like to poke fun, but Scott and I were always there for each other. Even if we had different circles of friends." Ryder laughs. "We use to try and separate ourselves, become more distinct. Yet when we got older we just stopped caring. Things were so much simpler after that. On our eighteenth birthday we bought each other the first of our tattoos. He got a data looking one over his eye. I chose this." She runs a finger along the bottom of her tattoo that went from her ear down to her neck. Right under her cheek.

"They're in the same spot." Cora points out starting to understand.

"Yeah. Out of everyone no one will ever be there for you like a brother." Ryder says fondly. Their tattoos filling in the empty space where the other one had been scarred.

"I wouldn't know, but it seems like you two are close." Cora says with a smile. "I'm happy he is awake Ryder. It must also be a great relief on your mind."

"Thanks Cora. It really is." Ryder replies with a soft smile. She had missed her brother. Having gone through so much without him or father it would be nice to have him on her side once again. Especially in a world as crazy as this.


End file.
